Even A Little, Insignificant Laugh
by WisdomsDaughter-27
Summary: The laugh filled my head, breaking through all my thoughts. I felt a sudden dread, a shiver running up my spine. I knew that laugh. It was four years after The Giant War and four years after Percy Jackson had disappeared, after falling into Tartarus. Everyone thought he was dead. Everyone thought that Percy had been killed. But everyone was wrong. My first fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1 (Returning)

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters. I am not Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan has not, in any way approved of this fanfiction. The only characters Rick Riordan does not own are the ones I have made up and added (Lizzie).**

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1. Returning

The laugh filled my head, breaking through all my thoughts. I felt a sudden dread, a shiver running up my spine. I knew that laugh. I knew it so well that it hurt my heart to even think about the owner of the laugh. I knew it like I knew my own, knew it so well, I recognized it as easy as breathing. But it wasn't possible. He was gone. But my heart was, as it always was, telling me that I was wrong.

I didn't dare turn my head. I didn't know what my reaction would be. I didn't trust myself to see the owner of the sound. If it wasn't whom I thought it was, I would probably collapse as all the memories of him rushed back to me. But if I was right, if it really was him, I didn't know how I'd take it. Would I run to him? Would I stare in shock? Would I yell at him? Would I playfully flip him like I did at the Roman camp when we were last reunited?

I mentally slapped myself. My thoughts of him were overwhelming me. I was drowning in images of him. The little traits that he had. His qualities. All the heroic things he'd done. And I was sinking, deeper and deeper with every second, feeling the memories pushing over me and covering the warm sunlight off my face…

I realized that was just the clouds. I looked up out of the café window to see some grey, dark looking clouds hiding the sun from sight. I sighed and sank a little deeper into my cushioned seat. Then I felt something on my wrist, pinning it down to my rounded, wooden table. I gave a little squeal and looked down with a sharp jerk to see a hand. Lizzie's hand. I relaxed a little and turned slightly to see my mortal friend's face. Her familiar face. Her pale skin and light brown hair. Her rounded nose and blue eyes. Her freckles and her pink lips. But there was something else in her expression. Concern.

"Annabeth… Are you ok?" Lizzie asked in her soft and gentle voice. I swallowed. "Yeah, I'm… fine" I replied slowly, careful not to let my emotions show in my tone. Piper could tell something was up though. Piper was my best friend who had been with me through some really tough times. It was a small action, but it still caught my attention. She raised her right eyebrow, slowly and cautiously. She was studying my face carefully and I tried a little harder to hide how I was feeling.

"Are you sure? I can call your family if you.. erm.. If you need to talk to them?" Piper suggested, flicking her choppy, brown hair out of her face. I felt the corner of my lip raising a little, into a sort of smile. I knew what she was on about. She was asking if I wanted to call Camp Half Blood, my home and my kind of extended family. If what I was thinking had something to do with the world of gods, goddesses, demigods, monsters, titans and/or giants plotting to take over the world.

"I…" I started, wondering what to say, but my new line of thoughts were interrupted by Lizzie. "Girls, sorry to interrupt, but an incredibly hot guy is standing at the reception table of this café!" she whispered excitedly. An image of him came into my mind. And I cringed, trying to shake the picture from my thoughts. Piper looked even more concerned.

Lizzie, clutched my wrist a little tighter and whispered "Come on, look at him!" she babbled. Piper gave me one more look before slowly looking up to see the reception table. I watched her expression as she did so and I could tell Lizzie was doing the exact same. A look of terrible fear suddenly crossed her face. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open a little. It was just a split second, before she adjusted her expression, to a more collected look, but I could see worry in her eyes.

Lizzie smiled. "What did I say?!" she laughed. Piper gave a small laugh alongside her. "Lizzie, I'm dating Jason" she giggled. She looked down at the salt and pepper shakers, and I could see her hands shaking slightly. I could tell she was avoiding looking me in the eyes. I knew that my initial thoughts were accurate. I realized that my heart really did know the truth. And then I came to the conclusion that what I'd thought for 3 long years had been wrong. That we'd all been wrong. That somehow he'd managed to hide himself. And now he was back. And although I was scared to breaking point, I knew it was true.

Percy Jackson was alive.

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_**A.N. [Author's Note]**_  
_**So, yeah, this is my first fanfiction! I'm sorry if anyone sounds a little (or a lot) OOC [Out of Character], but then again, there's only a few characters in that scene and Lizzie is one of my own.**_

_**Thank you for everyone who recently read this and either gave a positive review (actually, everyone so far has given a positive review!) or favourited or followed this story. Thank you also to those who followed and/or favourited me!**_

_**I really appreciate all the awesome response I'm recieving! Your comments really made my day, especially since it has been less than 24 hours of the story being published! Just so you guys know, I've already written chapter 2, it's just a matter of when I can upload it to fanfiction! That should be in a few days though or later today if I don't have too much homework.**_

_**So thanks again to everyone and hopefully, stay tuned! WD**_


	2. Chapter 2 (Revelations)

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters. I am not Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan has not, in any way approved of this fanfiction. The only characters Rick Riordan does not own are the ones I have made up and added (Lizzie).**

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2. Revelations

I barely registered Lizzie waving her hand in front of my face. "Annabeth!" she moaned like a ghost, moving her hand up and down. I was frozen. And apart from that, I couldn't think straight. My mind was a hurricane of chaos, spinning everything relative out of perspective. 2 things kept repeating in my head. _Percy Jackson is alive. Seaweed Brain is here!_ I felt like all my strength was drained and now I was an empty body with nothing but the memories of having a life. Which was partly true. I had a life until Percy disappeared. Then I slowly built myself back together and now all I've worked for is gone again because he's _back_. He should have stayed dead. Didn't he care about me?!

Suddenly I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. I was back in reality and quickly took in my surroundings. I was sitting in a little café booth, a little semi circle shaped place with windows surrounding the curved bit of the semi circle. The sky outside was getting gloomier by the second. A lamp hung from the ceiling above us, showering light over my little semi circled table with your average salt and pepper shakers, napkins, menus and cutlery set on it. Two of my best friends in the world were sitting around the table, Piper McLean and Eliza Silvers, along with me. We sat on comfortable red bench seats curved in the semi circle shape. We were in our favourite café and everything was normal. Oops, I lied about that last bit.

My cheek stung like someone had slapped it and judged from the horrible glare Piper was giving Lizzie, someone probably had. Lizzie was glaring at Piper and was managing to make it look as scary as Piper's. I peeked under the table and saw one of Piper's fists clenched tightly, while her other hovered near her belt. No, near her dagger, Katoptris. I didn't hide my shocked look and gave Piper a worried glance.

"What did you do that for?!" Piper whispered fiercely, her teeth grinding together. "Obviously, she needed some help getting back into the real world!" Lizzie hissed back. "Oh yeah? That doesn't mean you slap her!" Piper growled. "No one's perfect, Piper! Oh wait, sorry, I don't mean for you to get offence, perfect Piper" Lizzie grinned evilly. My mouth gaped open.

"Guys!" I tried to plead, but no one was listening. "You're saying that about me? This isn't even about me! This is about Annabeth!" Piper said. I could tell that she was holding back, but she was only just managing to. "Yes! It is! And she obviously needed help, so I helped her!" Lizzie howled. A few customers nearest to us started to take notice of the girls' argument.

"Lizzie!" I hissed angrily. "No, you selfish pig, you just wanted her to get to see the hot guy at the reception!" Piper said harshly. I felt a huge wave of persuasion come over me. _I am a selfish pig. Oink. And there's a hot guy at reception. Oink. And I like mud. Oink. _Somehow, Lizzie was never affected by Piper's charmspeak, a type of persuasive talk that children of Aphrodite have. "No! Friends mean more to me than hot guys, which obviously isn't true for you since you are ruining your friendship with me!" Lizzie blurted out. Then, Piper lost it. "LIZZIE! You are such an idiot!" Piper shouted, making everyone in the café turn to look at her. "That's Percy Jackson, Annabeth's ex and you are just shoving that fact in her fa– Oh! Annabeth, I'm so so sorry!" Piper gasped. My face burned red. Red with embarrassment and red with anger. How could Piper do that to me?! I saw Lizzie's expression out of the corner of my eye and it showed shock, a lot of anger, as well as a tiny bit of jealousy and disbelief.

The whole café was silent. I stood up straight and tried cooling myself down. It worked a little, but I guessed my face was still red. I shoved my plate away a little and rummaged in my purse before placing some money on the table and saying "This is for my meal" before zipping up my bag again. "Annabeth, it's alright, my shout" Piper said quietly, but I ignored her.

Now for the hardest part. Walking past reception. I tried to focus my view on the door and not look at him, but they were impossible dreams. My sight went blurry everywhere except for him, kind of like a tunnel, leading straight towards him. I saw his jet black hair, his brilliant, sea green eyes, his light coloured skin and his lips, oh, those beautiful lips I used to press against mine. There were differences between my Percy and this Percy though. This one had a long scar reaching from the corner of his left eye to his left ear and he looked harder, more disciplined. I know that I thought that when I got him back from the Romans, but he was even more… ruling than even then. I slapped myself (mentally of course) again. I could see him staring at me, his mouth gaping open. I kept my poker face and walked straight out the door. As soon as the sensor doors closed behind me, I failed to keep my cool. I could feel tears trickling down my cheeks. And then I was running, away from the café. Away from Lizzie and Piper. And away from_ Percy._ And also, without even realizing, straight into bucketing rain.

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_**A.N. [Aut**__**hor's Note]**_

_**Hey guys! Thanks everyone for checking back and reading this next chapter! I hope it's just as good as the first (although personally I prefer the first one to this) and you enjoy it just as much. Once again, I hope that the characters aren't too OOC.**_

**_Also, something I forgot to mention in my previous AN, I do not mind critisism. In fact, I would love a little cristism. But only as long as it is CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM and it's not anything downputting. If so, please PM me instead of reviewing. It is unfair towards me and other viewers if you post rude and/or unnecessary comments for all to see. I am writing this so that you are aware. I have not yet had any reviews of that kind, just ones of supportive nature. And about that, thank you for everyone continuing to support me and my endeavours. I honestly didn't think it would be that good, but I am so happy with how everything is going. So thank you!_**

**_Thanks again everyone and hopefully, I'll post chapter 3 soon. If there's anything you'd like to ask me or would like to know, just PM me. Thank you so much! WD_**

**_P.S. Hey guys, also I'd like to know if you'd like me to extend the chapter. This chapter I mean. Make it a little longer. I would also try to make my other chapters longer. So please leave a review saying what you would like because I am not making a poll. And that reminds me, there is a poll on my profile about whether I should start a new story. This one would still continue of course. Thanks _**


	3. Chapter 3 (Secrets)

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters. I am not Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan has not, in any way approved of this fanfiction. The only characters Rick Riordan does not own are the ones I have made up and added (Lizzie).**

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3. Secrets

I gasped as the cold rain hit me. I'd been so focused on trying to stop my friends arguing and then getting out of the café that I hadn't realized it had started to rain. In my mind I cursed Zeus for making the weather so dreary. Then I cursed him for giving me such a miserable life. I mean, he's technically my grandfather and has he ever done anything for me? No, not at all. Well, not exactly for me without anyone else's opinions.

I started to sob harder. I ran around the corner to the carpark, splashing water everywhere. I hardly noticed the fact that my clothes were soaking, that my damp hair was slipping down over my face and that there was a flood in my boots. I shuffled around, trying to see in the pouring rain. Then I remembered. I'd decided to walk to the café. I remembered my thoughts earlier that day. _Annabeth, it's a lovely day, for the first time in ages, it's sunny and you really need some exercise. A few Summers in Camp Half Blood doesn't fix your need for exercise. Especially after all those movie nights with Lizzie, Rachel and Piper. It's not good to eat that many sweet foods!_ Ha, and look where those good thoughts had put me. Walking home in the rain. And what's more, it took me half an hour to get there in the first place. Boy, was I in for an awesome time.

I ran towards the bus stop and stood under the little shelter, recovering from the endless wet. I stood hugging myself for comfort for a few minutes before thinking how useless and stupid I was being and shook myself off. I laughed as an image of a dog shaking water off itself floated into my mind.

When I was happy with my partially wet/dry state, I thought about calling someone to pick me up and drop me off at home. The rain hadn't gotten any better yet. I lifted my handbag, unzipped it and gave an exasperated gasp as I realized the contents of the bag were completely soaked. I held my breath and shuffled through my things, but I just couldn't find my phone. I cursed under my breath and suddenly remembered how I'd given Piper my phone to take a picture of Lizzie and I. I waddled slowly over to the little bus seat to think. Unfortunately, it was already occupied. By one person I did _not_ want to see right now.

"Nico" I said, with a firm what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here tone. "Yes, hello Annabeth, nice to see you too" he drawled in a sarcastic voice. I didn't bother saying anything after that. Was a little privacy too much to ask for?! I sat down on the seat next to him, and shoved him across a little. Then I lay back and started thinking about how terrible I probably looked. My clothes, hair and shoes, drenched. My eyes puffy from crying. My emotions probably showing because I'd let my guard down. Gods, how had I not noticed a certain child of Hades sitting behind me for longer than 10 minutes!

"So, Annabeth. How was your early dinner?" Nico asked in a calm tone. No, there was something more to his voice. Something he was hiding… "Nico, you knew about Percy didn't you?" I asked, half yelling, half gently questioning. All Nico's defenses faded away and I saw how scared he was. He looked just like he had when I'd first, really met him. He'd just lost his sister, so he was now a 10 year old with no where to go and no one to trust. And I felt sorry for him. But the other part of me, was furious.

"NICO, HOW COULD YOU!" I shouted. I could see that he was upset and scared, but he also looked a little fierce and angry. He kept silent though. I set off again. "Nico, I – WE thought he was dead! Everyone, thought he was dead! We thought that he'd died in tartarus! And I.. Oh my gods Nico, I thought his death was my fault! I was his girlfriend! I had to get over him! His disappearance almost killed me! Oh-" I stopped abruptly and started bawling my eyes out. Only afterwards did I think about how ridiculously I was acting.

After a while, Nico put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, with my sore, red eyes. I still don't know how I felt at that moment. A mixture of hate, disappointment, envy. Or one of happiness, adoration and hopefulness.

"Annabeth- Um.. Do you want a ride home?" Nico asked slowly. I stared into his dark eyes. He looked sorry. Genuinely sorry. I let my damp head fall onto his shoulder and lean on it. He winced and I wondered why. Had some injury befallen him? "Nico.. How did you find him?" I whispered. Nico didn't react. He waited a few seconds before replying "I didn't. Bianca did." I jerked my head up and stood up quickly. "Bianca?" I asked shakily. "Yes" Nico barely whispered. "I found her reborn. But she doesn't know me" Nico choked. I dropped down next to him again and hugged him. "Oh, I'm sorry Nico" I whispered.

Nico shrugged me off. "Don't be. Anyway you still haven't answered my question" he said in a hard tone. I had a feeling that Nico didn't want to discuss Bianca. I had to think back a little, before realizing which question Nico was referring to. "Yes please" I answered. Nico grabbed my hand and I felt the familiar feeling of shadowtravelling.

A few moments later, I was standing in my bathroom, with Nico beside me. I looked at Nico and raised my eyebrows and Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because you're wet and the bathroom is the wettest room in your house?" I nodded. "What are you going to do now?" I asked him. Nico shrugged again. "I have to go back for Percy soon" he said cautiously, looking at me. I took a deep breath. "Yes, you wouldn't want him to get lost. Again" I said. Nico flinched. "Annabeth… I don't know what happened to him. But you have to ask him yourself. I-I… Just can't. Have a nice night Annabeth" Nico said and he disappeared into the shadows.

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**A.N. [Author's Note]**

**I'm sorry I took so long guys! I wrote this ages ago but I never uploaded it I'm so sorry! Well, I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4 (Calling)

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters. I am not Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan has not, in any way approved of this fanfiction. The only characters Rick Riordan does not own are the ones I have made up and added (Lizzie).**

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4. Calling

I woke up in my bed, tears streaming down my face from the new nightmares. They were all full of Percy, memories, what could have been, what could have happened to him. Some of them were old dreams back from when Percy had first disappeared when Hera switched Percy and Jason. Most of them were new.

I don't know when I fell asleep the night before, or how. I remembered how I had cried and cried last night, not knowing whether to rejoice or curse Zeus. Or perhaps Poseidon at that. Or whichever god that had let him come back to haunt me.

I wiped my wet cheeks and got up, picking out my things for a well deserved shower. After that I was happy. Happy to just be doing normal things. But the water reminded me of Percy. I shut the tap off and got changed into a pair of tracksuit pants and a plain tee, covering that with a sweater. I fried an egg and ate it on toast, laughing as the runny yoke ran down my chin. When I finished it, I picked up a book and flipped it to page 167, the page I had read up to. Losing myself in a book wasn't easy, not with my dyslexia and my ADHD. But it felt normal and that fact slowly got me adjusting to the size of the words.

I relaxed around the house for the rest of the morning. My Sunday was as good as could be… until the phone call. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I checked the number and the name on the screen, knowing that hardly anyone knew my number and if they did, knew that it wasn't a good thing for demigods of all people to own telephones. I was surprised when I saw the words that came up on the screen.

BLAM-FLOOD CHAP

I sighed and solved the anagram that my dyslexia always caused me. It was a pretty good advantage to be a child of Athena with dyslexia. The anagrams came more naturally. It took me a few seconds to figure out that the name I was seeing was

CAMP HALF-BLOOD

I narrowed my eyes and clicked the green button on the screen of the phone before pressing it to my ear. "Hello?" I said. I heard some shuffling at the other end of the line before a familiar voice spoke "Annabeth, how are you!?" I laughed. "Grover! Oh Grover, I'm good! What about you?" My old friend laughed back. "Fine, fine" he told me. I smiled, knowing that he couldn't see me. I felt like I could picture _him_ however, his orange t-shirt, curly hair, horns and goat legs. Did I mention that Grover's a satyr?

An awkward silence fell over us. I wondered what he knew, why he was calling? Why it was him on the phone and not Chiron, the camp activities planner and one of my dearest friends, or Dionysus, the god of wine and the camp director. The very grumpy camp director, I should probably add.

"Annabeth…" Grover drifted off. "What is it Grover? You know that you can tell me… pretty much anything?" I assured him. Grover gave a small laugh. "Yes. Ok, well we need you over this end" he said. I nodded, but wondered why that was so hard to get through. With a sigh I added, "And?" I heard nothing on the other end of the phone. "Grover, come on" I encouraged. "Well… Uh… I think it would be easier to explain if you just came here. And get here quickly, it's kind of… chaotic" he told me. "What!?" I asked. Suddenly I heard something crash on the other end. "Annabeth, HURRY!" Grover shouted and the line went dead.

I smiled as I turned the corner and saw Jason. Even though he was so far away, he was all I saw. _Seriously Piper?_ I grinned and pressed the button to signal I was about to cross the road. The little green walking man appeared and I jogged across the street, along with a bunch of other busy people crossing with me. Halfway through the road, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I stumbled in surprise, my phone _never_ rang, but I quickly got back with my rhythm and crossed the road safely.

The call died out before I could get to it, but a few moments after it stopped, it started again. This was a very persistent caller. I slid my hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone before flipping it open and accepting the call. "Hel-" "PIPER!" a flustered Annabeth screamed into my ear. "Annabeth…" I faded off. "Piper! Something's happening at camp, something bad, PIPER ARE YOU LISTENING?!" "YES!" I yelled back. A whole bunch of people in the park stared at me like I was wearing a pink tutu (which I wasn't!). Jason also noticed me and waved at me, before starting to walk my way. I smiled and waved back before barking "Annabeth, I know what I said last night wasn't fair on you, but I CAN'T DO THIS RIGHT NOW!" "PIPER! I am serious. Please, come to camp, I know something's not right!" Annabeth wailed. I stopped for a second and thought. The Annabeth I knew would never play a trick like this. Especially if it had something to do with Camp Half-Blood, the best place in the world. I heard some sobs coming from the phone and my heart softened. "Annabeth, I'm on my way. Is it ok if Jason…" "Yes, Jason can come" Annabeth replied dryly. "But hurry" she said without feeling and hung up on me.

By now Jason had reached me and he could tell something was up instantly by my expression. "What is it?" he asked in a tired tone. "Annabeth wants us to go to camp. She thinks something's going on, something not right… Oh Camp Half-Blood" I verified. Jason nodded his head. I could tell that had thought I meant _his_ camp, Camp Jupiter. "Will you come with me?" I asked. Jason took one look and me and suddenly kissed me. I stepped back to balance myself, but kissed him back, loving the feeling. After a moment or two, I pushed him away, playfully and said "I hope that's a yes?" Jason nodded replying "Of course! Camp Half-Blood is my second home!" I smiled at him, wishing I could kiss him again, but urged the feeling away. "Then _let's go_!" I grabbed his wrist, twisted around and ran, thinking about the best way to get to camp.

I threw a handful of money into the front of the taxi and urged the man to drive faster. I had already learnt that he was a greedy man as he'd tried to pickpocket me earlier. He indeed sped up. We practically flew through the countryside. I warned him to slow down a bit before we arrived at Half-Blood Hill, and he listened with a little more money. When we reached the place, I paid and ran off, up the hill. But I didn't want to walk into camp alone, so I waited a few more minutes before Jason and Piper showed up at the bottom of the hill. I waved my hand, encouraging them to run faster and they did. Well rather, Jason grabbed Piper and flew up the hill. I frowned at them and waved a little more insistently before they reached me. When they did, I started running, but Piper had grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "PIPER!" I yelled, frustrated, but she took no notice. "Annabeth, take it slow" she said calmly. I felt like a turtle. "Stop it, stop it Piper" I mumbled and waved my arm so that she let me go. She did, and I walked passed Thalia's pine and through the camp barriers. And then I saw it all. "Noooooooooooo!" I screamed and threw myself down the hill.

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**A.N. [Author's Note]**

**So yeah, a quick update to apologize for last time. Thanks guys, please tell me what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5 (Fight)

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all the characters. I am not Rick Riordan. Rick Riordan has not, in any way approved of this fanfiction. The only characters Rick Riordan does not own are the ones I have made up and added (Lizzie).**

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5. Fight

The camp was on fire. I am not kidding. The cabins looked like giant bonfires, all squished together. There were a whole bunch of monsters running around camp, smashing or breaking everything they could. The forest was now a bushfire, and the nymphs were doing everything they could to tame the flames. As far as I could see, the camp was utter chaos and destruction, with the exception of the big house. A ring of brave demigods surrounded the house, defending it against the invading… invaders.

I screamed with horror and ran down the hill, slipping half way down and tumbling and rolling to the bottom of the hill. A stick stabbed into my wrist, making a small cut, but I barely noticed until afterwards. I jumped back onto my feet and ran, desperately towards the big house. I heard a few people shout out my name with relief as I ran, but I ignored them. Then all of a sudden, "WATCH OUT ANNABETH!" I spun around to face a.. a demigod? What was going on now? "Urm.. what?" I asked dimly in confusion. The demigod, a 12 year old boy, seemed to recognize me and spat at me before swinging his sword in a strong, swift, fatal arch towards my head. Only my demigod reflexes and years of training let me pull out my knife in time to meet the sword and a loud clang resonated away from us. He didn't let that stop him and quickly swung his sword up and stabbed at my left thigh. I jumped up, dodging his deadly attempt to pierce my leg and kicked him in the face.. Well, rather the space his face used to occupy, as he was gone a second later. Suddenly he was grabbing my leg and smashed me onto the ground. I gasped as the air was knocked out of me and rolled left in alarm as his sword was coming straight for my heart. He hadn't expected that and stumbled, when I took my chance. Using an old trick, I swung my legs around, so I had one leg on either side of him and kicked him hard, behind the knees. He fell over and using my knife, I cut his leg. I couldn't bring myself to kill this demigod, whether he was a 'good guy' or not.

I crawled over past the ring of defending demigods and collapsed, trying to catch my breath. Piper and Jason ran through the ring a few moments after me. "Annabeth!" Piper called out and she knelt down beside me. "Annabeth, are you ok?" she said gently, a worried expression on her face. "Yes" I said slowly. "Just a little out of breath… Oww, why does my arm hurt?" I asked attempting to rise and look at my wrist, but Piper motioned for me to stop. She took a look and an expression of 'ouch' crossed her face. "I think you might have pierced your wrist. With something sharp" she added. I nodded and lay on the ground, my sight blurring, before drifting off.

_I woke, with a great pain in my ankle and a feeling like I'd just fallen out of a really tall tree onto my back. And I knew that from experience. It was so dark, but I could still see glints of light from various different places. Wait, were they car headlights? I shook my head and sat up. Percy, where was Percy?! "PERCY!" I yelled out in desperation. I was scared. What if he didn't answer!? His death would be all my fault then. No, no, no, I wouldn't lose him, not now, not now… "Annabeth!?" A familiar voice whispered weakly. A feeling of relief went through me, and I knew I wasn't alone, not now, not ever. "Percy!" I called, more quietly. "Percy, where are you?!" I asked. "Percy!" "I'm on.. a car" Percy replied slowly. I had a feeling he was in a lot of pain. I needed to find him and soon. "Percy!" I cried out. "Ann-" he started, but stopped abruptly. "Percy, are you alright?!" Silence. Silence. Silence. He didn't answer. There was no reply. "PERCY!" I shrieked hysterically. A raspy voice came over the darkness, blanketing everything in a fresh coat of creepiness and fright. "Daughter of Athena, listen to me. If you ever wish to see your Percy again, you shall listen to me. Is that clear?" I gulped down a cry and a name whispered in my mind. Arachne. "Yes" I cried out, hearing just how weak I sounded. "Yes, I'll do anything Arachne, just free Percy" I whispered. Arachne's laugh resounded in the dark and more than ever, I felt like shrinking back, and lying forever waiting for death to come. The laugh echoed again and again and again and again…_

I screamed and bolted upright, feeling that same feeling as the one I'd felt in tartarus. Except Percy wasn't there to face it with me. _Percy..Percy…_ Something whispered in my mind. I had a sudden urge, to call out his name and see if he would answer, save me like all those times when we were growing up. But no, I didn't want to think of him again.

I was upset. Very upset. Reliving my first few moments in tartarus were not pleasant and I felt like screaming. But I knew screaming wouldn't do. Other people needed me to stay strong, so stay strong I would.

Looking around, I was lying on a couch in the Big House. It took me a second to remember what I was doing back at camp. As soon as I did, the pain in my back returned. I groaned and swung myself up and off the couch. I felt for my knife, and gasped upon the conclusion that it wasn't there. Groaning, I slowly waddled towards the door. I reached out, my fingers stretching towards the door handle… And someone bet me to it. The door swung open, stopping abruptly when they realized someone was on the other side.

"Annabeth!" I felt the person's arms wrap around me in a tight hug. "Can't… breath…" I whispered and the girl let me loose. "Sorry, are you ok?" "Fine, Piper" I replied. Piper nodded and grabbed my hands, swung around and gently tugged me towards the couch again. I reluctantly stepped towards her. Piper looked out the window with a swift glance, grimaced and looked back at me, her expression completely normal. I had seen her though, and I stared through the glass. The loop of demigods were getting closer to the big house. I whimpered and held back tears. Here I was, sitting helplessly on a couch, whilst my home was in danger of being invaded and I could do nothing to save it.

"Annabeth, did you hear me? It's going to be alright! Apparently, reinforcements will be here any second!" I turned my head to look at Piper. "Who?" I asked simply?" "I don't know, no one will tell me" Piper said, starting to smile. "But we'll be alright" Piper assured me. I was still concerned. I turned my worried eyes back towards the window and saw movement coming back from the top of the hill. "There!" Piper yelled. I winced, my ears were ringing softly and watched the scene before me, unfold.

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**A.N. [Author's Note]**

**Please tell me what you think! No serious criticsm please. I know this chapter was a daring, going a little into the tartarus scene. Please review!**


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